Amusement device.



CROSS REFEREQQE 8WD mum P. W. FULLER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION nun JULY 8, 1907.

' 901,435 Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

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SEARCH ROOM CROSS P. W. FULLER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE APPLICATION FILED JULY 8. 1901.

Patented 001;. 20, 1908. a SHEETS-SHEET a.

u: rlrrcus 00.. Insumcro PERCY W. FULLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application filed July 8, 1907. Serial No. 882,608.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY W. FULLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Amusement Devices, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to amusement devices of the type which involve a passengercarrying car traveling on a track which may have grades therein, and the objects of the invention are to provide a novel form of car for carrying the passengers and also to provide novel means for pro elling the car up the grades of the track so that the car may be ke t in continuous motion on the track.

he car herein shown comprises a car body or outer shell or barrel ada ted to turn bodily about its axis and to roll along the track and a non-rotary passenger-containing compartment within the shell 01' body. I propose to employ electricity as the motive power for propelling the car up the track, and in the form of the invention herein shown the motor devices are so arranged that when the car reaches the foot of an upgrade the electric propelling means is automaticall rendered operative, and when the car reaches the top of the incline, said ropelling means is automatically rendere inoperative.

I will first describe one embodiment of my invention and then point out the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a car embodying my invention showin the car on .the track; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectlon through Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the car Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the controlling device for the motor; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing in (plan a length of track, and showing the fiel element of the motor arran ed on the up-grades of the track; Fig. 6 is a iagrammatic view showing a portion of the armature element of the motor which is carried b the car; Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic ,view' ustrating the position of the field elements of the motor on the up-grades of the track.

The track 3 on which the car runs may have an arrangement as is commonly found in .rol er coasters and similar amusement devices.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated diagrammatically a track which comprises u ward inclines 5 and downward inclines 6, sai inclines being connected by more or less level portions of the track. The track is also shown as an endless track over which the car may travel, although this is not essential to the invention.

The car comprises a body or shell 7 cylindrical in cross section and arran ed with circumferential ways 8 that fit and roll on the rails 3 of the track. This barrel or shell is open at both ends and may be made in any suitable Way. Within the barrel or shell is the passenger-receivin cage 9 which is also circular in shape and which is supported u on rolls 10 carried by the barrel or shell. The passenger-receiving cage is provided with seats 11 on which assengers may sit and if desired may be welghted sli htly on one side so that the seats-vn'll always e maintained in the proper position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Since the passenger-receiving cage 9 rests freely on the rolls 10, and since it is Weighted, it will follow that as the barrel or shell 7 is rolled along the track 3, the cage 9 will maintain its position with the seats vertical. The passenger-receiving cage 9 also has open ends and the seats 11 are arranged facing the open ends so that the assengers in the car may look out through said open ends as the car travels. The outer shell 7 may also be provided with guide rolls 12 which are adapted to bear on the end flanges 13 of the passenger-receiving cage, said end rolls serving to prevent the cage from moving longitudinally of the barrel. In most amusement devices of the roller coaster type the car for carrying passengers has to be raised to the highest point of the track either by means of an elevator or by means of a cable or some similar contrivance either of which requires the constant attendance of an attendant. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a novel means for propelling the car up the incline, which means is rendered operative automatically when the car reaches the bottom of the incline and is rendered inoperative automatically as soon as the car reaches the top of the incline.

ln'the preferred embodiment of my invention I propose to use for this purpose an electric motor of the induction type and to provide such a construction of motor that it will be automatically thrown into operation at the foot of the incline, thereby to propel the car up the incline, and will be automatically rendered inoperative at the top of the incline thereby permitting the car to roll down the downward incline by fierce of gravity. To accomplish this result with this ty e of motor, I propose to arrange the field cement of the motor along the track at the upwardlyinclined .pertions thereof, and to arrange the armature element of the motor 11. on .the car, said armature element being ma eto encircle the barrel of the car. I have also provided means to render operative that portion of the armature element which is adj acent, the track when the car is assin over the portion of the track having the fuel element therein, the other portions of said armature element being inoperative. Referring again to the drawings, the field element of the motor comprises a laminated iron core 15 extending along the track and having the winding 16 thereon, the wires 17 of which are connected to a generator 18.. I propose to make the inductlon motor of the three-phase type and therefore there will be three se arate windings '16, and the generator 18 wi 1 be a threep'hase alternator.

"The armature element of the motor which is mounted on the car comprises a laminated iron core 19 which encircles the car body and which has extending across the same the wires 20, all of which are connected at one end to .the common wire 21 that encircles the car and each of which is connected at its other end to .a contact member 22. These contact members are shown as arranged on the inside of the barrel 7 between the latter and the passenger-receiving cage 9, there being as many contacts 22 as there are cross wires 20, and each contact being connected to its wire by a connection 23. he contacts 22 are all insulated from each other as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Carried bythe cage 9 is a contact shoe 25 which is yieldingly held against the contacts 22 by means of suitable springressed ins 28. This shoe is of a length to ridge t e contacts 22 on the armature element which-are adjacent to the track 3 and by its engagement with said contacts, said shoe closes the circuits .of those wires 20 which are adjacent the track. When the car is movin over a portion of the track having the field element therein, a magnetic flux will be generated in those armature windings which are connected or closed by the shoe 25'and the co-action of the magnetic flux thus generated and that generated in the field winding will cause the car to 'be propelled in awell-known manner.

By employing the shoe which is carried by the non-rota part 9 of the car the armature windings whicharc adjacent tot'he track and those. onl will be rendered operative and as fast as t e contacts ass out .from engagement with the shoe, t e windings connected to said contacts are rendered inoperative, but simultaneously other contacts are brought into engagement with the shoe 25 rendering o erative other windings of the armature. T e result is that the various windings of the armature are progressively rendered operative and inoperative and the car is thus propelled along the track. In constructing .an apparatus embodying my invention the laminated cores 15 for the field elements and the winding 16 therefore will be placed along those portions of the track having an uprade or over which the car has to be propelled, such field elements being designate by shaded areas 15 in Fig. 7, for instance.

The winding 16 of one section of the field element may be connected by suitable wires 26 with the windings of another section of the field element of the motor, and thus all the sections of the field element may be rendered operative from the same generator 18.

As the contacts 22 pass out from engiagpment with the shoe 25, there is a likelihoo at injurious sparking may occur, and to blow out any sparks that may be thus generated, I propose to employ the wellknown ma netic blow-out '27 as shown diagrammatica ly in Fig. 4, and which is located at the end of the shoe, said blow-out being connected by wires 29 and 33 with the main portion of the shoe and with an insulated section 30 thereof. The induced current generated in the winding of the blow-out will .cause any sparks which may be generated to be instantly blown out before any damage will occur. This type of induction motor has the advantage that no control thereof is necessary for as soon as the car reaches the portion of the track having a field section therein the motor automatically becomes operative to ropel the ear forward and as soon as the car leaves a ortion of the track having a section of the fidid element therein the action of the motor automatically ceases. By properly lacing thescsections of the field element of t e motor the car may be kept continuously in motion throughout the track as will be obvious.

I have not attempted herein to show all forms of my invention, but have selected the preferred embodiment thereof to illustrate the principle of the invention. I do not, therefore,-- 'sh to be limited to the construction shown. i

-Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentiszt 1. In an amusement device, the combination with a track, of a car to travel over said track, said car comprising a cylindrical car body adapted to turn bodily about its axis and roll along the track, and automatic means to propel the car up the grades of the track, said means comprising an armature element, of a motor encircling the car body and a field element of a motor located along l the track.

2. In an amusement device, the combination with a track, of a car to travel over said track, said car comprising a cylindrical car body adapted to turn bodily about its axis and roll along the track and a non-rotary passenger-receiving compartment situated within said body, and an induction motor to propel the car along the track, said motor comprising an armature element on the exterior of and encircling the car body, a field element extending along the track, and means connected with the non-rotarly passenger-receiving compartment to ren er operative that ortion of the armature element which is ad acent to the field element.

3. In a evice of the class described, the combination with a track, of a car to travel thereover, said car comprising a cylindrical car body adapted to turn bodily about its axis and roll alon the track and a non-rotary member withln the car body, and an induction motor to propel the car along the track, said motor comprisin an armature element on the exterior of an encircling the car body, a field element extending along the track, and means controlled by the nonrotary member to render operative that portion of the armature element which is adjacent to the field element.

4. In an amusement device, a track, a car body adapted to roll along the track by tuming about its own axis, combined with an induction motor to propel the car body along said track, said motor comprising an armature element encirclin the car body, a field element extending a ong the track, and means to render operative that portion of the armature element which is adjacent to the field element.

5. The combination with a track and a field element of an induction motor extending along the same, of a cylindrical car body adapted to turn bodily about its axis and roll along the track, said car body having a passenger-receiving compartment and the armature element of said motor encircling the car body.

6. The combination with a track and the field element of an induction motor extendin along the same, of a cylindrical car to ro'l along said track, the armature element of said motor encircling the car, and means to render operative progressively different parts of the armature as they approach the track during the rolling of the car.

7. The combination with a track, of a field element of an induction motor extending alon the track, a cylindrical car adapted to roll a ong said track and the armature element of said motor encircling the, car, said armature element comprising a core and wires extending across the core, all of said Wires being electrically connected together at one end, and means to electrically connect the other ends of those Wires that are adj acent the track.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PERCY W. FULLER.

Witnesses:

LOUIS 0. SMITH, MARGARET A. DUNN. 

